Day 4339

When I was walking through the area where the eagles live this morning I was surprised to see a car flipped over on its roof on one of the small service roads that cut through the park. The accident must have just happened because a fire truck and EMS vehicle were arriving as I approached the car. The driver was an older woman who didn't appear to be seriously hurt. How could this have even happened? The speed limit is 20 miles per hour on these roads and I can't imagine that the woman was driving fast. My guess is that she was looking for those two eagles and inadvertently drove over one of the low barriers at the side of the road. Whenever I see something like this it makes me realize that life is full of surprises. The last thing I expected to see this morning was a car flipped on its roof in an empty section of the park.

Other than witnessing a weird car accident, it was a pretty uneventful day. I did manage to find the Reed's Extra Ginger Brew I've been looking for. I doubt that drinking more ginger ale and less beer will make me any healthier, but this stuff is real tasty. It's not as sweet as other brands and has a strong ginger taste. I should have done a few more errands while I was out of the house but I didn't feel like it. One task a day is plenty for me.

The new photo backdrop arrived today. I guess I'm ready for another season of Christmas pictures. It's probably time to buy some new photo umbrellas, but I think the two I've got will make it through one more season. My equipment is getting pretty old, but so am I. My knees are getting so bad now that I'm going to need an assistant to pull me up off the floor after photographing the little dogs. Maybe it's time to add a cane to my photo gear.

I watched the Crew 3 launch on the Space X live stream this evening. I wished I could have been there. Everything looks so familiar when I watch these launches on television. I'm getting to know Kennedy Space Center pretty well. I've asked my Florida photographer friends whether this ever gets old and the answer is always no.  There's something about watching a launch in person that is completely unique. I'm sure I'll return to Kennedy Space Center, but it might take a while. I'm hoping to be down there for the launch of Artemis 1 next February.

I just heard a severe weather warning on the television. Where did that come from? Its been nice out for most of the day. I just checked the weather radar and sure enough a big storm system is headed our way. I'm glad I didn't go up on the roof and clear the water away this afternoon. That would have been a wasted effort. I alway worry about downed or uprooted trees during storms. We've lost trees before and it's always a huge mess.

This week has gone quickly. Every day feels like Ground Hog Day, but that's OK. Tomorrow we'll walk Dawn at dawn. I'll brew some coffee and eat my bowl of shredded wheat. I'll take a long walk through the park and hopefully won't see any more auto accidents. I need to write another letter to my sister, but I really don't have much to say.

Puppies are todays Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4338

Today was quiet and uneventful. I woke up to a pretty sunrise. We took Dawn on her early morning walk and then I came home and ate a bowl of shredded wheat. After breakfast I took my long walk and was amused at how many people are out looking for the eagles with binoculars. The nest location hasn't been revealed, but everyone seems to know where it is. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been dispatched to protect the nest from foot traffic, but I don't think there will be a problem. By all indications, the nest is located in a swampy area that is not very accessible. That doesn't mean people won't try. Today I saw a helicopter circling the area. I'll bet the two eagles loved that. I'm not sure why a pair of eagles would choose Dallas as their home. Actually, I'm not sure why anybody would choose Dallas as their home.

Today's NASA teleconference was interesting. I wasn't terribly surprised to learn that the Artemis program was going to be a lot more expensive than expected and that the moon landing had been delayed for another year. They don't expect the Artemis III mission, which will land two astronauts on the moon, to take place until 2025 now. I had a couple of questions ready to ask, but by the time CBS News, The New York Times, The Discovery Channel, The Washington Post and other well know outlets had finished asking their questions, the moderator announced that they had run out of time and the event was over. Even The Verge, a very popular website, was at the very bottom of the question list. Before the first five minutes had passed I knew they weren't going to get around to my question.

DHL was supposed to deliver our new photo backdrop for Santa Paws pictures today, but it never arrived. So much for German efficiency. I thought the package would be arriving on Monday the 15th, but I got a message this morning saying that it was already out for delivery. I was kind of hoping that this delivery would be more reliable than FedEx or UPS, but apparently not. Oh, well. We've still got a lot of time. With any luck at all, the backdrop will still be here in time for Christmas pictures.

We may still get some Fall color after all. When I was taking my walk today I noticed that some of the Oak trees were starting to turn red. A few other trees have turned yellow, but I can't remember what species they are. The trees are turning a lot later than they did last year. Maybe it is because it has been warmer than usual. We often have a hard freeze by this time of year and occasionally we've even had snow. Personally, I'm pleased by the warmer weather. I was never a big fan of snow.

I've discovered that the extra strength Ginger Ale I've been looking for is available at Target. I never even thought of looking there. Maybe finding some Reed's Extra Ginger Brew will be my mission for tomorrow. At the moment I can't think of anything better to do. A lot of grocery stores will tell you  exactly how many items are available at specific stores on their websites now. This would be pretty amazing if it worked. In my experience, this inventory information is almost never accurate. The humans entering and updating the information are still the weak link in the chain.

Dawn comes out and watches me fix her dinner now. She barks at me like I'm some kind of servant, but I still consider this progress. Maybe by the time Janet starts to travel again, we'll be best friends.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day